Biratnagar, April 13:

A committee including the Maoists initiated a fresh investigation into the Belbari incident yesterday.

The committee was formed after the injured and relatives of those killed in the incident warned that they will launch an agitation if government-promised compensation was not provided to them.

The committee said it will make its report public in the capital on April 17. The victims of the incident submitted a seven-point demand to the coordinator of the probe committee, Pari Thapa. The victims warned that they will stage an agitation if their demands are not met by the third week of April.

The victims have demanded action against the guilty, education for the children of those killed and injured in the incident and payment of compensation fixed by the previous probe committee, one victim, Rana Bahadur Shrestha, said.

DNA samples of 71 persons have been sent to Kolkata for tests. However, action has not been initiated against anyone because the report is yet to arrive, coordinator Thapa said.

Six persons were killed and over 60 people injured when army fired after an irate crowd tried to gherao the joint base camp of security personnel at Belbari in Morang district on April 26, 2006. The crowd tried to gherao the base camp accusing army men of killing a local woman Sapana Gurung after gang-raping her.

The previous probe team had recommended that families of those killed be provided Rs 10 lakh each and Rs 25,000 to Rs 75,000 be provided to those injured in the incident. However, the government has provided only Rs 3 lakh each to the families of those killed and Rs 10, 000 to Rs 75,000 to each of the injured.